For electrical cables having a plurality of discrete conductor wires surrounded by an outer jacket, splices of the conductor wires to associated conductor wires of a like cable are occasionally necessary. Such splice connections are desirably insulatively covered in a manner sealing the splices of the individual wire pairs from the environment and most especially from moisture. It is also desirable to place the cable splice connection in an enclosure that provides physical protection to the several splices. One such enclosure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,859 wherein sealant material within the enclosure assuredly embeds and seals the coaxial cable connector splicing the two coaxial cable ends together. Latches along both sides of the enclosure halves assuredly latch the halves together along both sides eliminating reliance on the integrally molded hinge along one of the sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,323 discloses a splice housing apparatus for splicing multiconductor shielded cable. The cables enter the enclosure and the several conductors are broken out from the cables and spliced, while portions of the shield are exposed. A ground contact within the enclosure provides a common ground between the shields when the shielded cable portions are inserted into cable-receiving slots of the contact. Sealant material embeds the splices for protection against moisture. Several embodiments provide for same-end cable entrance, where the same contact grounds the shields, or opposite end cable entrance, where there is a ground contact at each end with the contacts then commoned by a shorting bar.
It is desired to provide a single enclosure that permits either butt-splice or in-line cable arrangements as desired on site without special tools.